From the aluminum copper rads i cut and save the ends that have been silver soldered, plus any other joints i find.
Later on I will melt these into what is basically a copper anode 95 percent copper with the remainder - other which could be silver, iron etc.
Using an electrolyte made from sulfuric acid and copper sulfate, a small transformer in this case an old plating power supply from a plating shop. i will recover the copper at the cathode as pure copper while the silver and other metals will settle out as anode sludge, if you put a cloth bag over the anode it makes it much easier to collect.
The anode sludge will be dried and roasted then either melted into another anode this time the anode would be 95 percent silver then refined in a silver cell using silver nitrate as the electrolyte or I could treat the anode slimes chemically to recover the silver.
When I'm finished with the electrolyte or it becomes to fouled I can recover the silver by hanging some scrap copper into the electrolyte the silver will cement out then I can filter and save the good stuff - silver.
You can cement the copper out using scrap aluminum or iron, then use this copper in another anode to bring the copper content up to 95 percent to reclaim scrap silver.
Anytime your electro-refining you must start with an almost pure anode.
Regards
Gustavus
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